Wimbledon excludes Russian and Belarusian players from June tournament – Update

Updated statement from Wimbledon at 7:59 am: In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Belarus’s support for the war, Wimbledon has banned Russian and Belarusian players from the Grand Slam tennis tournament, which begins June 27 in London.

The event, organized by the All England Club, distances the rest of the tennis world from a country that does not allow players from those countries, including current world number 2 Daniel Medvedev, who is from Moscow.

Here is the full list of Wimbledon:

On behalf of the All England Club and the Championship Steering Committee, we would like to extend our continued support to all those affected by the conflict in Ukraine during this shocking and disturbing time.

We share the widespread condemnation of Russia’s illegal actions and carefully consider the situation in the context of our duties to the players, our community and the British community as a British sporting institution. We have also followed UK government guidelines specifically for sporting bodies and activities.

Given the profile of the World Cup in the UK and around the world, it is our responsibility to play our part through the vast efforts of government, industry, sport and creative institutions to limit Russia’s global influence with strongest means possible. .

In the face of such unprecedented and unjustified military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to take advantage of it by involving Russian or Belarusian players in the league.

So it is our intention, with deep regret, to refuse the participation of Russian and Belarusian players in the 2022 Championship.

Ian Hewitt, president of the All England Club, commented: “We recognize this is a severe blow to the victims and a pain for the actions of the leaders of the Russian regime.

“We have been very careful about alternative measures that can be taken under the leadership of the UK government, but given the high-level atmosphere of the championship, it is important not to allow the use of sports to promote the Russian regime and our environment. in general .great “. public and public concern. “The safety of the player (including his family), we do not believe can be extended to the championship in any other way”.

If circumstances change substantially between now and June, we will review and respond accordingly.

We also welcome the LTA’s decision to exclude Russian and Belarusian players from UK events to ensure a uniform approach to British tennis over the summer.

After the war began in February, Russian and Belarusian players were allowed to stay on the ATP and WTA tours, but without the national flags next to their names. Players have been banned from team competitions, including the Davis Cup and the Billy Jean King Cup.

“Absolutely no one should be allowed to fly the Russian flag … We need some potential reassurance that they are not supporters of Vladimir Putin,” British sports minister Nigel Huddleston said in March. Huddleston said at the time he was discussing the matter with Wimbledon organizers, Reuters reported.

Although Wimbledon is the first major tennis tournament to ban individual players, it joins other sporting events, such as the Paralympics, which have eliminated Russia and Belarus from the competition. The Russian football team hasn’t even managed to qualify for the Men’s World Cup in Qatar by the end of the year.

Along with Medvedev, the final ban at Wimbledon includes Andrei Rublev, the eighth player in the world, who in February was filmed writing on a camera lens after winning a match in Dubai: “No war please”.

Sports Information on this was first released on Tuesday.

Russian tennis player Andrei Rublev writes to the camera after today’s victory in Dubai “No to war, please”. #Ukraine #nowar pleasepic.twitter.com/AilwlNw0Re

– Dr Neil Pender BM MSc FRCP 🏳️‍🌈 (@DrNeilPender) February 25, 2022

As for women, the disqualification includes Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Daria Kasatkina and Veronika Kudermetova of Russia, as well as Arina Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, the latter two-time Grand Slam winner.